STORIES FROM THE WEB

33 Classic Ceremonial First Pitches (GIFs)

If it seems to you like there have been a number of noteworthy first pitches recently, you’re totally right. In the last few weeks alone we’ve seen a 101-year-old grandma, a major hip hop star, and a cat throw out the first pitch at professional baseball games. We’re basically living in the golden age of the ceremonial first pitch. And it is glorious.

Today, we’re going to celebrate this golden age with a list of the most amazing first pitch GIFs known to man (which is to say, that I could find using Google). Does it include GIFs of the first pitches I just referenced? You’re damn right it does. And it also includes 30 others that are notable for one reason or another. So lean forward, crinkle your brow like you’re analyzing an important spreadsheet or something so your boss doesn’t get suspicious, and take a look.

33. Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Keeping up with the Kardashians is one thing. Catching one of their first pitches is another.

32. Ringu

Yes, that is the creepy girl from The Ring…sort of.

The Ring is actually based on a 1998 Japanese film called Ringu, and since this ceremonial first pitch is from Japan, that’s actually the creepy girl from Ringu.

31. Boston Strong

Check out Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman. Dude totally rips a strike from his wheelchair, like a boss.

30. Mariah Carey's Four-Bouncer

Maybe it bounced four times, but at least she kept it around the plate.

29. Cirque du Soleil

And after all that, a strike right down the middle. Those Cirque du Soleil folks are good.

28. 50 Cent Is Bad at Baseball

Looks like Fiddy had a little too much Bacardi in da club that night.

27. Snake Eyes

I bet if all pitchers carried swords while they pitched, nobody would ever charge the mound.

26. Baba Booey

In 2009, Gary “Baba Booey” Dell’Abate threw out one of the worst ceremonial pitches of all time…unless he was trying to hit the umpire.

25. Rich Guy Fail

This guy’s name is John Bledsoe. He’s some rich insurance company guy who did something that Stetson University liked, so they had him throw out the first pitch at one of their baseball games.

It. Was. Awful.

24. Guy Boucher, Hockey Coach

When you have the coach of the local NHL team come throw out the first pitch, you might as well have him use a hockey stick.

(PS, Guy Boucher no longer coaches the Tampa Bay Lightning.)

23. Cervilio Miguel Amador's Baseball Ballet

Um, balk?

22. Jermichael Finley

Hey, Jermichael Finley is a tight end. His job is to catch balls, not throw them.

21. John Wall

John Wall is also a member of the “professional athletes embarrassing themselves with horrendous first pitches” club.

20. John Wall: Redemption

But John Wall has pride. So he went home, practiced, and came back to redeem himself.

19. Russell Wilson

Now Russell Wilson—there’s a guy who didn’t embarrass himself.

Of course, he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies, so you kind of expect him to get it over the plate.

18. Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick was also drafted by a Major League Baseball team. (Well, the Cubs.) And last year, he threw out what might be the fastest first pitch in baseball history.

Seriously, the thing clocked in at 87 miles per hour.

17. Johnny Baseball

Johnny Manziel isn’t knows for his incredible arm strength. He’s known for his scrambling. So when he threw out the first pitch at a Padres game, that’s what he showcased.

16. Batkid

Remember San Francisco’s Batkid? Well, he threw out the first pitch at AT&T Park on April 7, 2014.

5. Chocolate Strike

4. Samurai Pitch

It’s a damn good thing this dude got the ball over the plate, or else 25,000 fans at Comerica Park would have seen him commit seppuku right there on the pitchers mound.

3. Dodger Dog

This is Tillman. You might remember him as the skateboarding bulldog featured in that iPhone commercial from 2007. Last year he threw out the first pitch at a Dodgers game…minus skateboard, unfortunately.

2. Hero Cat

1. T-Rex

You probably think this is some CGI sorcery, but it’s not. It’s basically the biggest, most badass puppet you’ve ever seen. Look closely and you’ll see the legs of the legs of the person controlling the dinosaur from inside its ass.